The LRC has officially gone GREEN…Email notices for overdue materials, items available, and fines/fees notices will be sent to students and community members (who have provided an email address). If anyone has any questions, please feel free to stop in the LRC and ask. Thank-You

21st Century Literacy

Before the Internet burst on the scene, a good education was measured in terms of the 3 R’s – Reading, wRiting and ‘Rithmetic – and how well you were able to master them. But as information becomes increasingly digital people are starting to make a big deal of what are now being called 21st Century Information Skills. (If you want to know more about this movement, check out the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills .) Now students are still expected to learn the 3R’s, but also how to integrate that knowledge with the ability to think critically, collaborate with their peers on multiple platforms, and become proficient at finding and using online information efficiently and ethically. How does this relate to SVCC students?

It has something to do with the tools that are provided to help you learn and succeed in your courses and your level of proficiency when it comes to using these tools. Consider, for instance, the range of reference and journal databases offered through the Learning Resource Center. Most students are familiar with at least one magazine/journal database when they arrive on campus, but to get the maximum benefit from them, it’s important to learn a few pointers before you can become really proficient.

In the coming weeks the LRC blog will be featuring advice and information about the best practices for searching for information online, whether you are looking for books in the online catalog, for scholarly research articles in the databases, or for background information on any topic on the Internet. Please check back here now and again for new information, and we will help you sharpen your information literacy skills.